Scouting USA vs. Paraguay: 2022 World Cup Defender Previews Group D Opener

The format of the World Cup has changed entering 2026. Instead of 32 teams with the top two from each group making it to the knockout rounds, there are 48 teams this year. Eight teams that finish in third place will advance from their group to the knockouts. Does that change the strategy at all when entering this tournament? Not for the USA. This is a must-win game for the U.S. because of the order of its games. There might be a little room for error, but you don't want to go into your last game against Türkiye, which will be the toughest, needing a result. Getting a win against Paraguay would be a great way to start and a massive boost. Here's what to expect on Friday at Los Angeles Stadium (9 p.m. ET on FOX and streaming live for free on Tubi). One thing to note is that this will be a very different United States lineup than the one that faced Paraguay last November. Goalkeeper Matt Freese, defenders Sergiño Dest and Tim Ream and striker Folarin Balogun were the only four players who started both that game and the United States’ friendly against Germany last Saturday. While the U.S. squad will look different, Paraguay's approach is unlikely to change. Expect Paraguay to drop deep in defense and concede possession to us. Manager Gustavo Alfaro took over as Paraguay’s coach in August 2024 and led the team to a 5-4-1 (wins-draws-losses) in World Cup qualifying. That one loss was an away match against Brazil, but his team also registered wins over Argentina and Brazil at home. Don't expect Paraguay to come out and look to play an attacking game. Alfaro will have his team ready to defend and make life difficult for the USA. I'm always here to highlight the center backs when they should be highlighted, and the key to Paraguay here is its defense, of which Alderete is a huge part. Alderete made 33 appearances in the Premier League this past season for Sunderland. He did not feature in the friendly against the United States late in 2025 because he was coming back from injury. But he did manage to receive a red card in a scuffle after the game. Paraguay is a very, very defensively sound team, only conceding 10 goals in 18 World Cup qualifying matches. Expect this team to sit back and focus on defending with an eye on doing damage in attack in transition after winning possession. MLS fans will know Miguel Almiron as a go-to playmaker Atlanta United. He will be the key in attack for Paraguay when it does get on the ball and looks to get forward. Before the USA's loss to Germany, I highlighted how important Leroy Sané was going to be on the right wing for Germany in case he was able to get Ream in a one-on-one situation. Ream is likely to start on the left of the United States' back three in defense, so he'll be on Antonee Robinson's side. Making sure the 38-year-old captain has support when defending attacks in transition from Paraguay will be important. Paraguay had 10 shutouts in its 18 World Cup qualifying games, so it's not going to be easy to break down in what will be a difficult defense to break down. I'm expecting the United States to have the majority of the ball, though. We had 56% of possession back in November against Paraguay, and it may end up being more this time around. That doesn't mean it will be a walk in the park for us, though. The USA's wingbacks (Dest on the right and Robinson on the left) will be hugely important on both sides of the pitch. While the wing backs are going to be important going forward (which I'll get to shortly), they're also going to be important on defense. Paraguay is going to look to drop low and hit the United States on the counterattack. While Robinson and Dest are going to be important going forward, there will also be a job for them to do in defense. Both of these guys are more than capable in attack, which is clear from Dest scoring in the USA's 3-2 win over Senegal and Robinson scoring an impressive volley in the 2-1 loss to Germany. Robinson will be on the left side along with Christian Pulisic, while Dest will be on the right side, likely with Malik Tillman, who started against Germany. The key for the two wing backs will be to combine with Pulisic and Tillman to overload the Paraguay defense going forward. Dest started against Paraguay in November, but Robinson missed the game with Max Arfsten starting in his place. Neither Pulisic nor Tillman featured, as well. If the U.S. wins this game, I expect the success going forward to be from the wide areas.